


Kept Woman

by Cherienymphe



Series: Mafias, Mobs, and Bikers [4]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Mafia AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:53:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28865844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherienymphe/pseuds/Cherienymphe
Summary: Being in the wrong place at the wrong time finds you at the mercy of a dangerous man with an obsessive hunger that can’t be satisfied.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: Mafias, Mobs, and Bikers [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116857
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> warning: dark!possessive!manipulative!Steve, violence, eventual dub-con/ non-con. 
> 
> IF ANY OF THIS OFFENDS YOU PLEASE DNI!

You put the last of the stock away, flexing your fingers with a small sigh. You were supposed to have clocked out and left over an hour ago, but you could count the number of times on one hand in which you’d left at your scheduled time. Your boss was as lazy as they come, and he made it a habit to do the absolute bare minimum, if he even did that. It wasn’t unusual for him to leave work behind for his employees that were initially his responsibility.

You straightened, and you winced at the soreness in your back. You were just about to head to the back of the store when you heard a knock come from the front door. You rolled your eyes, opting to ignore it. The hours were posted at the window, and even if their eyes seemed to miss it, there was a huge closed sign flipped in the door window too. You were too used to customers thinking they’d be an exception to the rule, but a customer knocking on the door an entire hour after closing time was a first.

They knocked again, and you huffed. You turned, prepared to stomp down the aisle and let them know you were closed when the sound of shattering glass stopped you. Your eyed widened as low voices reached your ears. Both you and your boss were still in the store, so the alarm hadn’t been set yet. You stumbled a few steps back, hiding behind a row of fancy wine as you heard the lock turn and click out of place. Fear gripped you.

You faced the wall, completely still as footsteps made their way to the back of the store. Your finger twitched as you remembered your phone, but you just as quickly remembered that your asshole of a boss collected all electronics before a shift started. His excuse was that he’d seen too many employees distracted by them while on the job.

You didn’t hear anymore noises from up front, but you did hear the sound of your boss’ door banging open, followed by his startled voice. You surmised that nobody else was in the main part of the store, so you slowly tiptoed your way past the aisles and towards the front. You peeked around a row of chips, relieved to discoverer that you were right. The windows and glass door that took up the front of the store were completely shattered, and you nervously eyed the broken glass on the floor.

It would definitely alert anyone if you stepped on it. You moved down the aisle, heart incredibly heavy in your chest and ears burning as adrenaline coursed through your veins. You peeked around the other end towards the back, eyebrows furrowing as you could make out muffled yelling. You needed to get to the phone. Even if your boss was sent from hell, it didn’t mean you wanted him to die. You licked your lips, prepared to get to the front counter and call the police when a gunshot sounded.

You pressed your hand to your mouth, tears springing forth as the yelling stopped. It was impressive really, how fast you ran out of there. The sound of crunching glass was loud beneath your feet, but the even louder sound of that gunshot removed any hesitation you may have had.

“Hey!”

You were out of the store by the time you heard someone call after you. The street was dark and empty as you sprinted down the sidewalk, turning into the first alley you came across. You ran past trash and a few homeless people, turning left before yanking on the door of an unknown building. It luckily sprang open, and even luckier, it didn’t make any noise as it did. You quickly shut it, drowning yourself in darkness as you waited.

You could hear distant shouting and footsteps, and the tears finally fell as it hit you. Someone had broken into the store and killed your boss. Whoever they were, they now knew that you had been there, a partial witness to the ordeal. Surely, they were coming for you next. You glanced behind you, realizing that you’d hidden in an abandoned shop of some sort. The possibility of spiders and rats didn’t scare you nearly as much as the sound of that gun did.

You weren’t sure how long you waited it out, but you knew that it was hours. At some point, you’d heard the sound of sirens that were no doubt headed to your place of work. Well, former place of work. You obviously couldn’t go back. When you felt it was safe, you eventually emerged, poking your head out and peeking around before stepping out. It was cold, and fatigue finally caught up to you now that your body was no longer pumping with adrenaline.

You weren’t surprised to see daylight peeking along the sky, and suddenly your fatigue made a lot more sense. You glanced around, looking for a back way to get out of the maze of alleyways. You walked back the way you had come, and eventually found one. You smelled smoke in the air but paid it no mind as you made your way to your apartment.

.

.

.

You stood in your living room, towel clutched to your damp frame as you stared at the tv in shock. You watched with wide eyes as firefighters hosed down a familiar building, the reporter on the screen recounting the grisly discovery. They were asking for anyone with any information on the fire to come forward. Your mind whirled as you processed the information.

You wondered if they were able to tell that he’d been shot and killed before the store caught fire. They’d probably have to do an autopsy for that. You forced yourself to take a deep breath, the reality of it all hitting you in the face. That could have easily been your body in that burning building alongside his. Truthfully, that possibility wasn’t out of the question.

You frantically shook your head as you made your way to your room. As you got dressed, you wondered what you were going to do. You needed to find another place of work, but you had an impressive savings that you’d accumulated over the years. You weren’t hurting for work, but you definitely needed to start looking soon. How were you going to do that though?

Someone had seen you, and while you were sure they’d only seen the back of you, you didn’t want to take that chance. There were probably people looking for you, and you couldn’t exactly be hitting the pavement while you were a wanted woman. Possibly, you had to remind yourself. You didn’t want to jump the gun, but your paranoia and also very valid fear was telling you that you needed to get as far away as possible. Maybe move upstate.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock on your door, and you froze. A frown fell over your face, a fear creeping up on you. There were only four employees in the whole store. It was a small privately owned thing that didn’t require a large staff. You were never particularly close with your three coworkers, especially not enough for them to be knocking on your door. However, for arguments sake, if you were…none of them knew your address to even do so.

You hesitantly stepped in the hallway, footsteps silent as another knock sounded. This time someone spoke.

“Ms. Y/L/N?”

You froze again at the feminine voice, wondering how this stranger knew your name. Your hairs stood on end, and you pressed yourself to the wall. 

“Ms. Y/L/N, it’s the police. We want to ask you some questions about your former job. We understand that you were working last night before the fire.”

You suddenly blinked, frowning in confusion as your shoulders sagged a bit. What could they possibly want to ask you? You took a few hesitant steps towards the door. If they knew your schedule, then surely they must know you were supposed to leave an hour before the fire even happened.

It was with that thought that you froze.

How _would_ they even know you were there last night? You’d seen the news. It was a miracle there was even anything left of your boss, because the business had faced complete devastation. That meant they had no paperwork or cameras to even let them know who worked there at all, never mind last night. Sure, it was the police, so with some digging they could trace direct deposit payments and eventually find out who all worked there, but not this quickly.

Even if they had managed to do that this quickly, they still had no away of knowing you worked there _last night_. A sinking feeling weighed in your stomach. Something wasn’t right.

“Ms. Y/L/N.”

They knocked again, and you swallowed, lips trembling as you backed away. You waited, and when you didn’t hear anything else, you slowly made your way to the door again. Your breathing was almost nonexistent, and it was scarily quiet as you pushed yourself against the door, peeking through peep hole. Your lips parted in shock as you spotted a total of three people on the other side of your door.

One was a fair skinned redheaded woman, while the other two were brunette males. The woman was shorter than them. The other male with a similar complexion towered over her while the darkest of the three was only a couple of inches shorter than him. Not a single one of them were wearing uniforms. Your lips trembled as you watched the tallest brunette pull out a gun, his other companions following his lead.

Your eyes widened as he aimed at the door, and you spun, pressing your back to the wall beside the door just as a few shots rang out. The door was harshly swung open not long after that, and it was a miracle that it didn’t swing all the way to the wall, because then they would know someone was behind it. Although, that may have never been a concern.

Almost immediately, three sets of footsteps thundered towards your hall, and you wasted no time in slipping around the open door and running out of your apartment. You ran towards the exit door, pushing it open before making your way down the stairs. You’d only made it a total of ten steps when you heard the door burst open behind you. A shriek flew from your lips, and you didn’t even make it another five when a hand harshly gripped your arm.

You fought against your assailant, swinging at them, but they only leaned their head to the side, missing your attack. The man shoved you against the wall, pressing your back into it as he pressed a white rag over your face. You hit against him, digging your nails into his hand, but he only pressed himself more firmly against you. Tears spilled from your eyes as your vision swam.

He coolly shushed you, and his soothing voice was the last thing you heard as darkness quickly claimed you.

.

.

.

Your mouth felt dry when you woke up, like you’d been sucking on cotton. Your limbs felt heavy too, and it was a struggle for you to keep your eyes open. When you finally did, you noticed that you were laying on a strange surface. It took you a minute to realize that you were laying on a plush rug, but there was a film of plastic in between you and the rug. You turned your head, realizing that plastic covered the entire floor.

“You’re awake.”

You snapped your head forward, eyes taking in the familiar faces of the people who’d claimed to be the police before breaking into your apartment. All of three of them eyed you as you slowly sat up, hands sliding along the material. You let out a quiet gasp, heart threatening to burst from your chest as you put the pieces together.

They were going to kill you, and they didn’t want to clean up the mess.

You winced as a sharp pain came from your arm, flinching when one of them stepped forward. It was the woman.

“We don’t _want_ to hurt you, but we will if we have to. Whether or not we do depends on you. Do you understand?”

You nodded.

“I need a verbal confirmation,” she urged.

“Y-yes.”

“Good. We need to know what you saw last night…”

“I…I didn’t see anything-.”

“Lying will immediately forfeit your life,” the tallest brunette coldly interrupted.

The other one simply stared at you, arms folded over his chest as he observed the interrogation.

“I’m not! I didn’t _see_ anything,” you honestly replied.

They all exchanged looks before the woman continued.

“What did you hear?”

“I…I just heard knocking at first. I was stocking, and someone was knocking on the door, but I was going to ignore it. We were closed, and customers are always trying to come in after we closed, so I paid it no mind, but then… Then I heard the windows breaking, and someone opened the door, so I hid.”

“…and,” she pressed.

“I heard people go into the back where my boss was. There was some yelling and then… Someone…shot him,” you confessed. “…and that was when I ran.”

She backed away from you with a sigh, while the other two remained quiet.

“I wasn’t going to say anything to anyone, because… What would I even say? I didn’t see anything, so I wouldn’t have even been able to… I’m no use to anyone,” you breathed, pleading your case.

The other male, the brown eyed one, hummed. He held up a small bottle with a syringe while eyeing you.

“Looks like she’s telling the truth.”

You frowned before pressing your hand to that dull ache in your arm. You eyed the needle before looking at them.

“I say we let her go,” the redhead eventually said.

Your sigh of relief was short lived.

“I disagree. She’s a risk,” the tallest man argued, cold blue eyes boring into you.

She smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, it’s fortunate that isn’t your decision to make. Steve will decide what to do with her. In the meantime…”

She trailed off as she reached her hand out towards you. You eyed all of them for a minute before accepting, allowing her to pull you to your feet. You stumbled a bit, and she wrapped her arm around you.

“The name’s Natasha, but everyone calls me Nat. _You_ must be hungry…”

**.**

**.**

**.**

You were sitting on the plush rug again, sans the plastic. You were watching tv and eating a sandwich that the woman, Natasha, had made for you. You were told to wait in the lavish living room for Steve to arrive and decide what to do with you. Decide if you were to be taken care of or not. You didn’t know who the man was, but you hated him already for playing such an integral role in your future…or lack thereof.

You wrapped your arms around yourself as you glanced around. Whoever these people were, they were rich. You’d never been on the inside of a house like this in your life. You were sure the outside was just as a grand. There was probably a gate followed by a ridiculously long driveway. Impressive foliage probably surrounded the house, and you’d be surprised if there _wasn’t_ a guard dog or two.

You took another bite out of the sandwich, wondering just who these people were. Something in the deepest part of your mind had a hint, but you didn’t want it to be true. You went to work and home and took a few online classes. You kept to yourself. You refused to believe that someone like you had unintentionally gotten caught up with someone like…like something out of The Godfather. You refused.

Your heart jumped to your throat when you heard the door open. It was insane to you to be sitting in a living room that wasn’t visible from the front door and vice versa. Your heard footsteps, heavy footsteps, and you forced the rest of your food down. You pulled your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them as the person that could only be Steve came into view.

He was tall, easily as tall as the blue-eyed brunette with which he shared eye colors with. Unlike the other two men though, he was blonde. His face wasn’t as harsh as the mean one who wanted to kill you, but not as inviting as the brown eyed one who thought you were telling the truth. His light blue button down stood out nicely against him, plain black slacks making him look taller. He took you in as he stopped at the entrance of the living room, studying you.

Just then you heard heels along the floor, coming from the kitchen. Natasha came into view, and the new man tilted his head towards her just the slightest as she spoke too low for you to hear. His eyes never left you though, and you found that you could no longer hold his gaze. You looked away, waiting for them to finish talking and waiting for him to decide your fate.

You didn’t realize that the conversation was over, and she was long gone until you saw black shoes in your peripheral. You raised your gaze, meeting his stare as he stood over you.

“So…you’re the quiet little mouse who slipped away last night,” he mused.

You frowned, but otherwise kept your mouth shut. If he was in charge, and the other three killed without hesitation, then you didn’t want to know what he was capable of.

“I didn’t see anything,” you rushed out.

“So Nat tells me…”

He didn’t sound convinced, and your breathing picked up.

You flinched as his fingers ghosted over your chin, raising it and turning your head so he could get a good look at you. A small smirk tugged along his pink lips, and you felt your stomach churn.

“You’re not…unattractive. In a business like this, I’m sure we could find use for you,” he eventually said.

Confusion and dread hit you like a truck.

“ _Use_ …for me?”

“You thought I would just let you go,” he correctly guessed. “How cute.”

Your frown deepened, fear slinking around your throat like a noose. He tightened his grip on your chin, tugging upwards, and you had no choice but to stand. He didn’t let go as he brushed his thumb along your jaw, flitting his eyes over every part of you they could find.

“Nat,” he called.

She was there only a moment later.

“Show our little mouse to her room.”

He let you go as Natasha collected you, her grip gentle as she pulled you away. You looked over your shoulder, fearful eyes catching his dark ones as he eyed you with a look you couldn’t place.

“I want her to get comfortable as quickly as possible.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: dark!possessive!manipulative!Steve, violence, eventual dub-con/ non-con

You woke up feeling simultaneously refreshed and anxious. It was the first time in a long time where you didn’t have to get ready for work and deal with annoying customers and an even more annoying boss. However, you didn’t know what to expect from today. You had spent the past few days basically holed up in the room Natasha had placed you in, and you knew that it couldn’t last forever.

It was the entire size of your apartment alone, and that wasn’t including the equally impressive bathroom. Even if you _wanted_ to bask in your new unaccustomed living situation, you couldn’t, because you knew that it came with a price. You were only here because Steve either didn’t trust you enough to let you go or because he just didn’t want to. The latter worried you, and you couldn’t deny that his words worried you. What use could you possibly be?

You hadn’t seen him nor the other two males, who you learned were Sam and James, since that first day. You’d only been exposed to Natasha and one other girl named Wanda. You’d grown comfortable around them and didn’t want that to be ruined by seeing Steve again. With a sigh you exited your room, peeking your head around the corner. You didn’t see nor hear anyone, so you slowly made your way down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

You basically were free to go where you pleased as long as it wasn’t the other side of the kitchen. The kitchen basically separated one side of the house from the other, and you didn’t know what was on the other side exactly, but you knew that was where Steve resided, and that was more than enough for you. You were surprised to find the kitchen already occupied by Sam, and you sent him a small, nervous smile.

“You do know we’re not going to kill you, right?”

He chuckled as you eyed him, and it was in that moment that James walked through the kitchen.

“I’m still undecided,” he threw out as he breezed past you.

You flinched as the sound of the front door slamming shut reached your ears only a moment later. Sam laughed again before shaking his head.

“He’s joking. Steve decided we’re keeping you around, so…”

“…and what he says goes?”

He rose his eyebrows a bit, probably shocked that you were speaking to him for the first time since the day they kidnapped you.

“Yeah. What he says goes,” he confirmed.

You fiddled with your hands as he pushed a glass of orange juice towards you, and you gratefully accepted it. He eyed you as you took a sip, and you eventually met his gaze.

“I know you have questions. You might as well ask me, because Bucky’s just going to purposefully scare you, and Nat is going to make things seem nicer than what they really are.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and you glanced away.

“And Steve… Well, I don’t know why he decided to keep you around, so I’d hold off on approaching him about anything to be honest,” he finished.

You set your now empty glass down before exhaling.

“Do you guys…like…sell drugs? I mean, what do you _do_?” you asked, gesturing to the huge house.

Sam smirked, letting out another chuckle.

“We dabble in that a little bit. Usually though, we handle problems for important people who either don’t want to handle it themselves or can’t. A lot of people in this world, their only skill is their money, and they use it well to get what they want,” he honestly answered.

“I don’t really see where I would fit in to all of this,” you mumbled, coming to terms with what you’d been dragged into.

“Truth be told, me either,” he shrugged. “I don’t know what goes through Steve’s head half the time.”

“You’re about to find out.”

You were startled, jumping a bit as his voice reached you, and you looked over at Sam, but he only smirked before hiding his face behind his drink. You forced your gaze to land on the blond man before you and found his gaze already on you.

“Little mouse, come with me.”

You briefly glanced at Sam, but he didn’t meet your eye. Steve didn’t wait for you, and you hurried to catch up with him as he walked through the other side of the house you weren’t allowed to venture in. Your eyes were drawn to his back, taking in how broad it was. With a grimace, you noticed that he wasn’t small by any means, and you swallowed.

Foolish as it was, escaping had settled on your mind here and there. Even more so now that you had an idea of just what they were involved in. You were boring. The only time you’d ever done anything even remotely bad was when you’d gotten in trouble for public intoxication during a stint in high school with some friends. You didn’t want anything to do with any of this.

He held a door open for you, and you sharply inhaled when your shoulder brushed against him as you stepped inside the room. Dread filled you as he closed it shut behind you, and your eyes followed him as he walked around you to stand behind his desk.

“We’ve got a job tonight. There’s going to be a lot of people there, a lot of them important, so we need you to distract someone,” he started.

You frowned in confusion, shuffling on your feet.

“Nat will brief you on the subject and get you something to wear,” he ran his eyes over you, and you wrapped your arms around yourself. “We need you to dress the part…make sure you have his full attention.”

Your frown deepened at the implications behind his words, and you considered them for a moment.

“Just…just what are you asking me to do?”

He placed one hand on his desk, the other on his waist as he eyed you, blue eyes sharp and mocking.

“I’m not _asking_ you to do anything. I’m _telling_ you that you’ll go up to some unimportant rich man and entertain him for the evening while we do what needs to be done,” he stated.

You huffed, and his eyes glinted.

“Is that why I’m here? To be some dumb honeypot and lure unsuspecting men into traps and what not? I’m expected to just put on a stupid slinky dress and put my life in danger…”

You trailed off, swallowing the rest of your words as you watched Steve open a drawer before pulling out a gun and calmly placing it on his desk. You eyed it, swallowing as tears collected in your eyes.

“You don’t _have_ to be here. In fact, you shouldn’t be here, but you are because I commanded it so, and I can just as easily…reverse that decision,” he slowly began.

You glared up at him, but he only smirked at you.

“I own you…in any way I see fit, and that means you do what I say. Is that understood?”

You nodded, and he eyed you for a bit before dismissing you.

.

.

.

“Can’t you…I don’t know, talk to him?”

Natasha chuckled as she rifled through her closet, fingers brushing over dresses that were by people whose names you couldn’t even pronounce. You glanced over your shoulder, paranoid that Steve would come bursting in at any moment. She shook her head.

“He’s decided that you’re going to be some use to us, so…that’s what’s going to happen.”

“Look I have a life. I have online classes and friends and family back home-.”

“Yeah, none of that matters anymore,” she said, shoving a bright red dress that no longer fit her into your trembling hands. “You belong to him, now.”

“What does that even mean?” you mumbled.

She threw you a sympathetic smile.

“It won’t be so bad if you don’t make it so. You do this, do what he says, and you can have anything you want.”

“Anything except my freedom,” you added.

She threw you a look before shaking her head and dragging you into her bathroom.

“You’ll have your freedom again, but it’ll take time,” she honestly replied.

“In other words, I’ll have it when I’ve been manipulated into being fiercely loyal,” you scoffed.

She chuckled, dragging out a bag of makeup before leaning against the counter, studying you.

“I like you, Y/N. You’re smart…and a bit of a spitfire. I know that you don’t like this, but I think we could be good friends. Steve decided to spare your life, and I think you could make the most of it. You could find happiness here.”

You glanced away, surprised by the sincerity behind her words.

“…and,” she slowly began, and you looked to her. “I hope you won’t do anything stupid tonight.”

“I-.”

“I see that you’re a lot like me, and if I were in your shoes, being forced to go to an event by my kidnappers with hundreds of people… I would use that opportunity to my advantage,” she continued with a small smirk, raising an eyebrow.

You hoped that your face was unreadable, because the thought had crossed your mind. They were basically trusting you to handle this on your own. You’d be stupid not to try.

“Don’t be like me,” she finished.

You bit your lip, clutching the dress closer before changing the subject.

“How did you guys know my name? When you came to my apartment, you knew my name.”

Her smirk grew.

“Your boss was a real asshole for confiscating phones like that…”

You heaved a heavy sigh, cursing your boss. It wasn’t enough that he’d made your life miserable when he was living, he had to do it even in death too.

“It took nothing to hack into it and find out who our little witness was,” she said with a shrug.

You clenched your jaw, wondering just how your life had ended up here.

“Nat…”

Her eyebrows rose at the use of her nickname, and she straightened, waiting for you to continue.

“Is this really what Steve kept me alive for? I mean…no offense, but you’d be much better at this job than I could ever hope to be. Look at you!”

She set the makeup bag down, considering your question.

“You want the truth?” she quietly asked.

You nodded without hesitation.

“I know Steve. We all do, but just like Sam and Bucky know him in ways I don’t, the same applies to me. I’m certain that tonight is just a test,” she answered.

You blinked.

“A test.”

“Come on. You’ve been here for what? Less than a week, and he’s already sending you out on a somewhat solo mission at a place with hundreds of people? A place where you could easily slip into a crowd and never be heard from again?”

You realized the truth in her words, and your nerves suddenly grew.

“Whether or not you pass this test will determine what really happens to you from here on out…”

Dread filled you, and you didn’t know what possibility was worse; what would happen to you if you failed…or what would happen to you if you passed.

.

.

.

You were currently smiling and batting your lashes at some old man whose name you could barely remember. His beady eyes creeped you out more than the leering smile he kept throwing you, and you mentally insulted Nat with every word you knew. She’d never mentioned that your target had one foot in the grave and could barely keep his decrepit hands to himself.

You glanced around, unable to spot Nat or Sam anywhere. You all had went your separate ways almost immediately after stepping into the building. Your task was clear and concise; keep the old man’s attention on you for duration of the event.

You kept thinking about what Nat said, about the whole outing being a test. Failing scared you, but you at least had a worst possible outcome in mind if that happened. If you passed, on the other hand, you had no idea what that would entail, and the unknown scared you more than anything. That was what drive you to reply with an enthusiastic ‘yes’ when the man before you offered to take you somewhere quieter.

He had a lot of money, and so he had his own private room in the grand building that he kept paid for. At least, that was what he told you as his shaky hands dragged along the curve of your ass as he led you up the stairs. You didn’t dare look over your shoulder, afraid of what you might see, who you might face, and what they might scare you out of doing.

It took no time to knock the old man out with a lamp as soon as the two of you were alone, and while part of you felt bad, an even bigger part was looking out for yourself. You wouldn’t have to fear the outcome of any stupid test if you could get away. With trembling fingers, you undressed yourself and then him, pulling on his suit and holding it to you as best as you could.

You took a deep breath, reminding yourself that your kidnappers were smart, and you had to find a way out of here. They would expect you to take an emergency exit or something, possibly a back way. That was how you found yourself attached to a group of rich socialites who were too drunk to notice you as you all stumbled out of the building. You were surrounded by two girls and a guy in particular while the rest laughed around you.

You kept your head down, only lifting it when you paused at their waiting limo. You took the opportunity to slink around it before crossing the street. You didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, you wouldn’t until you were long gone, but you didn’t even know how to go about doing that. There was no telling what came of your apartment, and even if everything was as you left it, that’d be the first place they’d expect you to go.

The bell rung as you walked into a business about 5 blocks over. The owner, at least you assumed that was who he was, had brown hair and a mustache and beard that almost connected. His dark eyes took you in as you approached.

“Can I use your phone? I know that you probably only let paying customers use it, but it’s an emergency-.”

“Relax, kid. Here. Call whoever you need,” he said, grabbing it off the counter and handing it to you. “I’ll be in the back.”

You thanked him before looking over your shoulder out the window as you dialed. You turned back towards the counter, leg shaking as it rung.

“Come on. Pick up, pick up,” you silently pleaded to whoever would listen.

You glanced around, noticing with a frown that the store was empty. You realized that it was a suit store, and the owner was still in the back. You sighed as it went to voicemail, and you hung up. You tried again, nerves skyrocketing as you turned around. The phone was loud as it clattered to the floor.

Your eyes were wide as they met Steve’s, his imposing figure leaning against the inside of the door. You hadn’t even heard him come in. His face was unreadable as he just…watched you. You blinked, and you realized that your mom had finally picked up. Her voice was coming from your feet, and both you and Steve seemed to realize it at the same moment. However, when he ran for the phone, you ran for the door.

His hand just barely caught onto the suit jacket, but you slipped out of it with ease and the bell rung again as you fled from the shop. Once again, you found yourself running down an empty sidewalk in the middle of the night. Only this time, you knew your pursuer. His legs were longer than yours, body much more in shape, and he caught you in no time.

You screamed as one strong arm wrapped around you, but his other quickly rose, slamming his hand over your mouth as he pushed you into an alley. Your back met the brick wall hard as he pinned you against it, and you winced when he pressed himself against you. Your body was shaking with adrenaline, and his…was not. He was as calm as could be, and that terrified you. Only self-assured people were that calm.

“You know, I do have to commend your cunningness…your effort. An entire 45 minutes had gone by before we even realized you had left,” he quietly praised.

You frowned at him, tears springing to your eyes. Were you supposed to be happy with his appraisal? You pushed against him, but he only pressed himself against you more.

“Uh uh. Now, I’m going to take my hand off of your mouth, and you’re free to scream all you’d like…but this is New York. No one will care, and we both know that. You can try to fight me, but I’m stronger than you, so… Let’s be adults about this, alright?”

Your stomach sank as you realized the truth in his words, and you hesitantly nodded. You sniffed, and you flinched when he reached up to brush a stray tear away.

“So what happens, now?”

He tilted his head at you, waiting for you to elaborate.

“Nat told me about your little _test_ ,” you spat. “I failed. So what happens, now? Are you going to kill me? Chain me up in the basement?”

Steve’s face gave way to understanding, and he chuckled. Your frown deepened at that as he let go of you, pressing one hand to the wall as he leaned in. A strand of blond hair kissed his forehead as a small smirk danced along his pink lips.

“Failed?”

Now it was your turn to be confused, and his smirk grew as he brought his other hand up to brush his thumb over your bottom lip. He raised an eyebrow at you.

“What are you talking about? You passed.”


End file.
